Balor was in action on NXTEvery episode of NXT brings something to the table that sets the motion for next week or rather weeks to come. They don’t even waste the appearances of its most valuable stars.Bayley, Zayn and Samoa Joe weren’t really part of this show since they’re going to have something interesting coming up next week – with Bayley set up for more than a brief interaction with Asuka – and Zayn facing off against Joe in a third match to determine the number one contender for the title that Balor holds.Speaking of Balor, this episode’s most outstanding moment was him facing off against longest reigning NXT Champion Neville. Here are the 5 points to note from this episode-
#5 Dana Brooke\'s managerial skills
Emma was back this week to have a match with the much-beloved hometown girl – Santana Garrett. Also, Dana Brooke was back this week to be by Emma’s side and possibly be the best manager on the show.
Snippets like telling the referee ‘She knows the rules’ and ‘You look beautiful’, ‘we run this’ were good little additions. It’s like she always has a purpose even if she’s on the sidelines. Brooke plays an important role and this team is probably one of the best alliances around in the WWE.
#4 Emma\'s win
Speaking of Emma, there has to be something behind all the recent victories. Her feud with Asuka was very well received and was good enough for fans to look for a continuation there and NXT is giving them all that in little doses.
Asuka defeated her opponent last week with ease and this week Emma got herself a victory. Given her work ethic and how great she and Brooke are in their respective roles, it’ll be something if they do face Asuka later on if the Japanese star becomes the NXT Women's Champion.
And it’ll be quite a story if Emma is actually the one to beat Asuka for the title, but let’s not jump ahead of ourselves.
#3 For next week
William Regal always looks so star struck when he’s around Eva Marie. He began the backstage segment between him, Marie and Nia Jax in a particularly star struck way, complimenting Marie and Jax about how they’re big stars and should be treated accordingly – hence – putting them in a tag team match against Bayley and Asuka.
Wow! That ought to get interesting.
This will be the first full-fledged interaction between the women's champion and Asuka. Will that be the moment where their feud begins? Given how great both the performers are, this match is a much watch.
#2 Aries arrives
Regal then stood in the ring to introduce the newest NXT signee and it turned out to be a moment, which came to our attention weeks ago courtesy of many live videos from fans.
Austin Aries was here and Baron Corbin was there to perfectly spoil the night for him. He then ripped off Aries’ shirt – and after uttering the words ‘an eye for an eye’ – hurled it right at Regal’s face and left.
The NXT General Manager was unsettled by the disrespect on display and walked out while Aries was looked after by officials.
#1 Balor Club worldwide
It kind of works that Balor doesn’t really make that many NXT appearances. His mere entrance changes the dynamic of the whole show – it screams cool. He had a match with the longest reigning NXT Champion Neville marking the obvious fact that he is on his way in becoming the new record holder soon.
While there can be no doubt that this match turned out to be exactly what was expected of it, it was phenomenal in every sense of the word.
With Balor getting the special treatment which makes each of his appearances seem important, and with Neville getting a fitting welcome from the place that once was his home, this was a great way to end the show and sort of coronate Balor as the face of NXT for a long, long time coming.
